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New Year’s Eve in Monaco: a complete guide on where to celebrate 2026 in style

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
19/12/2025

As the clock ticks towards the new year, few places can compete with Monaco’s New Year’s Eve glamour. Lights, music and gastronomy… the Principality offers everything from Michelin-starred dinners to firework shows. 

For those seeking culinary perfection, the three Michelin-starred Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris presents a New Year’s Eve dinner at €1,300 per person (including a glass of champagne and hot drinks), with food and wine pairing available at an additional €500 per person. Chef Emmanuel Pilon’s exceptional cuisine promises an unforgettable evening.

The Hôtel de Paris, photo source: MCSBM

Le Grill, the one Michelin-starred restaurant on the eighth floor with sweeping views across of the Principality, offers a single menu at €1,050 per person (drinks excluded).

For those seeking theatrical flair, La Salle Empire hosts a New Year’s Eve dinner show at €1,350 per person with food and wine pairing.

Moving to Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, at the one Michelin-starred Pavyllon Monte-Carlo by Yannick Alléno, a six-course menu is priced at €990 per person (including half a bottle of champagne, with additional wines available).

Additionally, L’Abysse Monte-Carlo offers a Menu Omakase at €600 per person (drinks excluded) or €800 per person with food and wine pairing while The Salle Belle Epoque presents a five-course menu with musical entertainment at €780 for adults and €390 for children under 12 (including half a bottle of champagne, water, and coffee).

Hermitage Hôtel. Photo by Monaco Life

Following, at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, the two Michelin-starred Le Blue Bay Marcel Ravin offers a menu at €850 per person (including half a bottle of champagne) from 8pm, while La Table de Marcel presents a menu at €999 per person (wine and food pairing included) from 8pm.

Meanwhile, L’Orange Verte provides a more accessible option at €395 per person (including half a bottle of champagne) with performers from 8pm.

Contemporary dining

The iconic Café de Paris Monte-Carlo serves a New Year’s Eve menu at €470 per person (drinks excluded), with musical entertainment throughout the evening in the heart of Place du Casino.

Café de Paris. Photo source: MCSBM

Meanwhile, the famous Sass’ Cafe frequently preferred by celebrities, offers a set menu at €650 per person including a bottle of Dom Pérignon for two at midnight. Get ready for toro tartare with caviar oscietra, king crab brioche, white truffle risotto, and wagyu filet rossini style, as live music transitions to DJ sets.

Mediterranean and Asian cuisine

GAIA Monte Carlo Carlo hosts an elegant ‘Night in White’ celebration from 8pm, with a dedicated New Year’s Eve set menu at €450 per person featuring caviar platter with sea urchin, tuna peinirli, and kobe beef with foie gras, accompanied by live entertainment and DJ sets.

Moving to Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo, it offers two options: €490 per person in the restaurant (including half a bottle of Amour Deutz 2014 champagne), or €600 per person in the Lounge for the Dinner & Party Clubbing experience. An Omakase menu is also available at €350 per person with a €250 minimum spend on drinks.

Amazónico also offers two options: an early menu at €200 per person (arrival 7pm-7:30pm) or the main New Year’s Eve menu at €650 per person including €300 for drinks (arrival 9pm-10pm).

Additionally MayaBay presents exquisite Thai-Japonese cuisine with a €350 minimum spend per person. The evening features DJ sets, dancers, and shows.

Lastly, the Niwaki offers special Omakase menu at €350 per person including a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne or sake for two, water, and coffee. Live music and DJ sets keep the atmosphere lively, with karaoke available in the private lounge.

Hotel dining

The Fairmont Monte Carlo offers two exceptional New Year’s Eve experiences. In the Grand Salon, a New Year’s Eve Gala at €495 per person includes a gourmet buffet, half a bottle of champagne, and festive entertainment featuring cabaret, a magician, a DJ, and children’s entertainment.

At Nobu Monte Carlo, again within Fairmont, an extraordinary eight-course Omakase dinner at €450 per person blends Japanese and Peruvian flavours with festive ingredients including caviar, snow crab, oysters, and foie gras, with one glass of champagne and a live DJ.

Lastly, Marlow at Mareterra offers a New Year’s Eve dinner menu at €280 per person.

Where to dance the night away

Jimmy’z Monte Carlo, the nightclub that has hosted some of the world’s greatest DJs, opens from 11pm on December 31st for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve party. The dress code is elegant and chic.

The winter pop-up at Blue Gin at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort offers a festive aperitif from 5pm, with the party starting from 11pm (minimum spend per table €350 based on two people).

For a more refined atmosphere, the Bar Américain at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo serves à la carte dinner and tapas with a minimum beverage charge of €1,100 per person from 10pm, including live music and one bottle of Cristal Roederer.

Free public celebration

However, not everything requires booking or deep pockets. The Mairie de Monaco hosts a free, open-access New Year’s Eve celebration at the Monaco Christmas Village on Port Hercule. Two stages animated by DJs will keep the party going from 9pm to 2am, with a spectacular fireworks display set to take place at midnight to welcome 2026.

Important tip: all restaurants and venues require advance reservations for New Year’s Eve, with many requiring prepayment to secure tables.

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life

Behind the curtain: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory debuts in Monaco

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
13/12/2025

Cascades of chocolate, Oompa Loompas, and the marvellous Willy Wonka himself are about to take over the Grimaldi Forum as Monaco becomes the first to host a magical new production of Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

The musical made its world premiere on December 12th before embarking on an international tour, bringing Roald Dahl’s beloved tale to life. The production follows young Charlie Bucket as he wins a Golden Ticket and joins four other children on a journey though Willy Wonka’s extraordinary chocolate factory, encountering everything from the famous TV room and mixing room to the nut sorting room along the way.

During open rehearsals on Friday, Monaco Life sat down with the creative team to discover what it takes to create a world of pure imagination on stage.

During the rehearsal, photo by Monaco Life.

Finding the child within

For Sam Varley, who plays Charlie Bucket, the key to portraying the young protagonist isn’t pretending to be a child at all. “It’s less about presenting myself as a little boy, which is less interesting, and more about finding the childhood that is within us all, all the time,” he told Monaco Life.

The actor, who grew up on Roald Dahl’s stories, sees the role as a celebration of wonder. “I think part of what this story is about is finding your joy and your innocence unperturbed by adulthood, believing in magic and allowing yourself to be truly awed by anything.”

Standing on stage surrounded by the elaborate illusions, Varley admits he’s barely acting. “It’s so awe-inspiring anyway that I just allow myself to be as amazed as I am. I think that reads as joy, and childhood is joy.”

During the rehearsal, photo by Monaco Life.

The genius of Wonka

Haydn Oakley faces the challenge of bringing the complex chocolatier Willy Wonka to life, a character known for his quick mood shifts between whimsy and darkness. But the actor, doesn’t find it particularly difficult. “Luckily, I’m closer to Wonka than further away, so I just kind of lean into that part of my own personality,” he says laughing.

As a father of two young children aged seven and five, Oakley has strong views on the darker elements woven through Dahl’s storytelling. “I think children’s brains are probably more accepting of that kind of Roald Dahl darkness that we give them credit for,” he explains. “If anything, there’s a safety in what we’re doing here experiencing those darker undertones in this sort of environment and enjoying what they are.”

He hopes adults will rediscover their own sense of play. “As adults, we prevent ourselves from enjoying those things and thinking that we have to build up walls. So hopefully, people will leave this production feeling more childlike themselves.”

During the rehearsal, photo by Monaco Life.

Directing with imagination

Director and choreographer Grant Murphy has taken an unconventional approach to staging the production. In the final rehearsal room run, he stripped away everything physical. “They had no props, no set, no costume elements, and I asked them to just imagine everything. Like a child would when they’re playing in the garden.”

This technique, Murphy explains, helps the performers maintain the show’s sense of wonder even when surrounded by elaborate technical elements. “Once we open, I’ll be asking the cast to continue imagining that they’re in an empty room with nothing in it and all of the stuff around them is coming from their minds.”

He even suggests a playful interpretation: “Maybe Charlie imagined everything that everyone sees. Could all of this just been in your imagination?”

For now, the cast prepares to bring this magical world to Monaco, before taking it to stages around the globe. The show will be performed in English with French subtitles.

With waterfalls of chocolate, breathtaking illusions, and songs including ‘The Candy Man’, ‘I’ve Got a Golden Ticket’, and ‘Pure Imagination’, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory promises an unforgettable theatrical experience for the whole family this Christmas season.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs at the Grimaldi Forum from 12th to 14th December.  Tickets start from €45.

Additionally, during every performance, one lucky child under 12 will have the opportunity to win their very own golden ticket!

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Main photo by Monaco Life.

Monaco launches regular business roundtables to address economic concerns

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
12/12/2025

Monaco’s new delegate for attractiveness, Ludmilla Raconnat Le Goff, has convened the first in a series of regular meetings bringing together the Principality’s business community to tackle three key challenges: relations between businesses and the state, conditions for economic development, and Monaco’s image and perception abroad. 

The first session, held on December 11th at the Monaco Yacht Club, gathered representatives from FEDEM, the Monaco Economic Board, the banking association, and various professional bodies. Minister of State Christophe Mirmand was also present.

Raconnat Le Goff said the meeting stemmed from numerous one-on-one conversations with business leaders that revealed these recurring themes across all sectors.

“I want us to have very concrete discussions based on real examples of what businesses experience today,” she told the press, rather than “pilling up generalised complaints”.

The first theme addresses relations between businesses and the state, including concerns about administrative delays and complicated procedures. The second examines whether certain legal structures or texts “for certain sectors are no longer really adapted” and may need reviewing.

Minister of State Christophe Mirmand at the session, photo credit: ©Stéphane Danna / Direction de la Communication

International perception gap

The third theme proved particularly striking. “When I explain our economic reality abroad, people say ‘we didn’t know that’,” Raconnat Le Goff noted, referring to recent trips in Paraguay and Jeddah.

“Monaco is known for a certain historical image that is dear to us – the glamour, festive events, sporting events,” she said. “But the reality of Monaco, the fact that Monaco is a place where it’s good to live, where it’s good to work, where it’s good to develop professional activity – that’s not necessarily perceived. The reality of our economic fabric ranging from industry to tech via services and finance is not known.”

To address this, the principality plans increased international engagement in 2026, joining networks of state agencies focused on attractiveness and meeting with foreign advisers.

Quality over quantity

However, Raconnat Le Goff dismissed any mass attraction strategy, highlighting quality over quantity. “Monaco is two square kilometres with limited real estate, limited possibilities. So we’re not in this mass policy.”

Instead, the focus is on attracting “high value-added companies” across diverse sectors rather than over-specialising. “I think we shouldn’t forbid ourselves anything in principle. Over-specialisation doesn’t seem appropriate either because it puts us at the mercy of a sector of activity.”

The sessions are likely to be held every four to six weeks.

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Main photo credit: Stéphane Danna, Direction de la Communication

Monaco launches real-time parking app in two-year Handipact review

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/12/2025

On December 3rd at the Méridien Beach Plaza, Lionel Galfré, Monaco’s Delegate for Disability, presented a review of the Handipact policy launched two years ago. The initiative was built on a fundamental principle: “Nothing about us without us”.

“We wanted voluntary, concerted action, with everyone, for the whole of society,” Galfré explained. “We’ve placed people with disabilities at the heart of our approach.”

The policy created a working group bringing together eight Monegasque associations representing different types of disability, ensuring that those with lived experience shape the initiatives that affect them.

Nine pillars of action

Over the past two years, Handipact has delivered tangible results. A bespoke 20-minute training module on disability awareness had been created and made available to all public sector employees. Meanwhile, field testing was conducted with associations and the public car parks service to ensure theoretical accessibility translated into practical reality.

In October, Monaco also launched StreetNav, a smartphone applications that Galfré described as “a kind of Waze for people with reduced mobility”. The app provides real-time information about obstacles, lifts and accessible routes through Monaco’s challenging terrain.

“Our territory is complex, hilly and constantly evolving,” Galfré noted. “It’s essential to have information updated in real time.”

During Handipact 2025, photo by Monaco Life

Within days, another innovation will launch as well: an application identifying accessible parking spaces in real time, showing whether they’re occupied and providing geolocation. “To my knowledge, I don’t have other examples of territories doing this.” Galfré said.

The Principality has also redesigned its disability card with an internationally recognisable logo. “It’s my pass. I show it, it’s identifiable everywhere, even abroad,” Galfré explained. “It’s a tiny detail, but until you’ve experienced it, you don’t know how important it is.”

Lastly, more than 400 commercial establishments have been approached with practical guidance on improving accessibility, supported by information about government assistance and free advisory services.

International recognition

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, commended Moanco’s approach via video message, noting that people with disabilities die on average 20 years earlier than those without due to health inequalities. This is why he thanked Monaco for sharing data and insights from its Handipact programme, which will contribute to the WHO’s regional progress report.

“Monaco shows that a small state can have a big impact,” Kluge said.

Handipact awards

The Handipact Trophy 2025 was awarded to the Grimaldi Forum for its attention to inclusion during the ‘Couleurs!’ exhibition created by Monegasque artist Caroline Bergonzi, while a special prize went to the Association Monégasque des Handicapés Moteurs for its investment in Handipact projects throughout 2025.

The event. marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, forms part of Monaco’s programme as World Capital of Sport 2025.

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Main photo of Lionel Galfré by Monaco Life.

Monaco marks world AIDS day with Palace tribute and new testing centre

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
02/12/2025

The Prince’s Palace lit up in red on Monday night in a gesture of solidarity with those affected by HIV and AIDS. The illumination served both as a tribute to lives lost and a reminder that the battle against stigma and infection continues. 

Inside the Oceanographic Museum, a more intimate ceremony unfolded as Fight Aids Monaco displayed eight memorial quilts honouring 93 people who have died from AIDS-relayed illnesses. Princess Stéphanie, who heads the association, attended alongside her daughter Camille Gottlieb and local officials for the emotional tribute.

However, this year, Monaco combined symbolic gestures with practical action in the fight against HIV.

New testing centre opens

The day also marked a step forward in prevention efforts, with Fight Aids Monaco launching a weekly rapid testing service at its headquarters. Every Tuesday morning, the centre now offers free, confidential screening for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and other sexually transmitted infections.

Results are delivered within 30 minutes through a rapid diagnostic test, with complete anonymity guaranteed. The service aims to reach people who might be hesitant to visit traditional testing centres.

“We wanted to create a space for people who are still afraid of others’ judgement, of walking into a screening centre,” Princess Stéphanie explained to Monaco Info. “In the Fight Aids premises, it’s perhaps a more reassuring place with our teams who are trained in dialogue before, during and after testing. Because it’s important, whether the result is positive or negative, to have information.”

She also stressed that the new facility complements rather than replaces existing services at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre, offering an additional option for those seeking discretion.

Prevention remains key

The Princess highlighted that while the tools to combat HIV exist, testing and awareness remain crucial. Recent UNAIDS figures show around 1.3 million new HIV infections were recorded globally in 2023, with a concerning rise among younger people.

“We’ve already worked with numerous rapid tests to reach out to communities for screening,” Princess Stéphanie said. “It’s really important, and for us it’s also recognition of what we do, that this happens at the Fight Aids premises.”

Since its founding in 2004, Fight Aids Monaco has combined education, prevention, medical support and social care. The new testing centre is the latest evolution in that mission, removing barriers of cost, fear and delay that can prevent people from knowing their situation.

For those wishing to use the service, the testing centre operates every Tuesday morning at Fight Aids Monaco headquarters at ‘La Villa Pasteur, 15 Bd Charles III’, offering free and confidential screening.

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Main photo credit: Frédéric Nébinger

The story behind the new exhibition that explores the unique relationship between Prince Albert I and King Carlos I

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
26/11/2025

An exhibition honouring Prince Albert I and King Carlos I has opened to mark the first official visit by a Portuguese president to Monaco. 

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived on November 21st for the historic state visit, during which he and Prince Albert II viewed the exhibition at the Saint-Martin Gardens.

The display, titled ‘Sovereign Oceanographers: Albert I, Prince of Monaco and Carlos I, King of Portugal”, chronicles the friendship between the two rulers who shared a passion for marine science.

Prince Albert I was a pioneer of modern oceanography. During his travels, he forged a close bond with King Carlos I, inspiring the monarch’s scientific work and exchanging frequent correspondence.

The exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

A friendship forged at sea

The two first met in 1879 when Prince Abert I stopped in Lisbon aboard his yacht Hirondelle. The then 16-year-old Carlos sketched the vessel in pencil during the visit.

But their friendship became stronger when both ascended their thrones in 1889, only a month apart. By 1894, when Prince Albert and his second wife Princess Alice visited Lisbon, the bond extended to their spouses as well, since King Carlos had married Marie-Amélie of Orléans in 1886.

The exhibition reveals how Prince Albert encouraged Kind Carlos’s oceanographic work. King Carlos studied Portuguese coastal waters during campaigns between 1896 and 1900 using successive yachts, all named after his wife.

Both rulers also published their scientific findings and created exhibitions of their discoveries. Prince Albert established a modest pavilion at the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition, while King Carlos displayed his collections at Lisbon’s Polytechnic School in 1897.

Their correspondence, counting around 100 letters over more than a decade, focused on oceanographic techniques and discoveries.

Tragedy and legacy

However, the friendship was cut short by King Carlos’s assassination in Lisbon on February 1st 1908. The King and his eldest son, Crown Prince Luís Filipe, were both killed in the attack. In a letter to Queen Amélie, Prince Albert wrote of “the agony that grips me when I think of the tearing of your heart as a mother.”

The tragedy depicted in the exhibition, photo by Monaco Life.

At the 1910 inauguration of the Oceanographic Museum, Prince Albert paid tribute to his fallen friend. Meanwhile, the museum’s façade bears the name ‘Amelia’ in honour of King Carlos’s research vessels.

Prince Albert also made a pilgrimage to Lisbon in 1920, where he spoke at length about King Carlos, describing him as “my student, for it was I who led him to do oceanography on the coasts of Portugal”.

The exhibition, which runs until February 26th, builds upon a show at Lisbon’s Maritime Museum in 2022 that marked the centenary of Prince Albert I’s death.

Now, with the first official visit of Portugal’s president, a bust of King Carlos I was installed in the Saint Martin Gardens opposite a stele dedicated to Prince Albert I, which was unveiled in 1998.

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Main photo by Monaco Life.